During their first two weeks out of the den bears remain
lethargic, with little appetite. Because a bear does not feed during winter,
their stomach is non-functioning and shrivels. To get the digestive tract
working again, ingestion is limited to small quantities of food. Skunk cabbage
and pussy willows are the first natural bear foods while snow still covers the
ground, followed by horsetail, grass, clover, and dandelions as the snow melts.

The main window of emergence for males is mid-March through
April, and for females, mid-April through May. I saw my first bear tracks in
Whistler Valley on Feb. 26 while on a bear den field trip with the Outdoor
Leadership class from Don Ross Secondary. On March 21, I began seeing tracks
and bears on daybeds around all three golf courses. As of April 20 at least 11
bears are active and by June, I’m expecting at least 33 resident adult bears
(14 M, 19 F) for the Whistler area.

In spring bears begin to reinforce their behaviours for the
season. Wariness and human-habituation are not constant modes for bears.
Experience with people, other bears, natural- and non-natural food rewards, and
day-to-day experiences shape bear personality and strategy.

Often — particularly at the start of each year — we are not
consciously aware that we are “teaching” bears by how we live and manage our
attractants. Bird feeders (in addition to garbage and recycling) are one of the
worst attractants in spring that trigger toleration of people from
reinforcement of high calories. If a bear gets a full feeder of suet, peanuts,
seeds, and raisins, that’s over 2,000 calories (as opposed to one mouthful of
big black huckleberries at 100 calories), so you see why bird feeders are favoured
in fall and spring.

Most feeders are hung close to houses, which teach bears to
overcome their natural wariness of human scent, sounds, and physical
surroundings (buildings). The payoff is a rich food source.

Initially, a bear is more likely to visit your feeder (or
garbage storage) during early mornings or late evenings, when human activity is
lower. As the season progresses, and if no negative consequences occur, the
bear will ultimately map this location in his head as a reliable food source. Golf
courses and ski trails are prime examples of how, at the population level,
bears are “taught” (indirectly) to habituate openings with human activity and
staple food sources.

The worst “expression of learning” we offer bears is the reward
of edible garbage. Whistler’s bear population can be described in a two-part
statement: A heavy population of habituated black bears exists because of
increased food supply through recreational development, and a trend of
garbage-seeking behaviours exists because of unchecked access to non-natural
foods over the last 40 years.

It’s nearly impossible to stop bears from grazing on golf
courses, ski trails, and recreational pathways, but it’s unchecked garbage
access that is killing our juvenile bears, and that must be tackled and
managed.

Garbage management in Whistler needs to change to promote human
safety in bear habitat and reduce reinforced garbage-seeking behaviours of
multi-generations of bears. You have to approach this problem with the
acceptance that we will never be able to keep bears out of Whistler valley —
natural food sources are too plentiful and the lure of high-calorie garbage
will always exist, especially in seasons of natural food shortages.

But, we can significantly shift garbage-seeking behaviours away
from houses (and improve safety) to centralized bear-proof containers where 1)
frequent, unchecked garbage access is reduced and 2) garbage overflow and
availability is better managed (than at individual households) and 3)
conservation officers and residents can better visualize bear activity when
asked to report and respond (better than in backyards, for instance).

The end result would be to begin a shift in the search pattern
of bears seeking garbage, from Whistler homes to “better managed” centralized
locations. Over time, bears will learn to search for garbage at centralized
garbage containment sites that are managed in a proactive rather than reactive
manner.

Whistler is wilderness… with a huge black bear population. We
must adopt the mindset to change garbage management, to ensure a healthier
future for human-bear relationships.

Anyone with questions can reach me at 604-698-6709 or e-mail
mallen_coastbear@direct.ca